MiDAS Spotlight: Johnny Delgado
Undergraduate Degree: Biology
Three words that best describe you: Creative, Charismatic, and Driven
What brought you to the MiDAS program?
I work across Digital Worlds over at the College of Education and my boss told me about the program which involved video game design and virtual reality, which she knew I was interested in. Making games has always been something I do for fun, ever since high school. I used to make anything from board games to video games. I really enjoy getting people excited about games and having fun with them.
What was your lightbulb moment that took you down this career path?
I’ve always liked making things. At a very young age, my abuelo taught me how to use tools and the importance of craftsmanship. From this, I started teaching myself about circuits and electronics, and when I got to high school I started shifting toward programming. I’ve always enjoyed making things and incorporating new skills into my work. Once I learned about programming, it made it really easy to bring my ideas to life, like the games I would come up with for my little sister.
What interactive experience are you looking forward to creating in the near future?
Currently, we are doing a project in one of my classes with the Florida Museum of Natural History, where we are going to be creating an educational VR program. I have a soft spot for teaching kids even though I’m not a classroom teacher right now. The class is still in the early stages, but I am really looking forward to it.
What is your favorite class you’ve taken in your program?
The multiversity class was fantastic. It’s two weeks with a bunch of Digital Worlds professors, where each one gets to teach their favorite things. It was really great because I got to meet so many professors that I didn’t know about since I didn’t study digital arts during undergrad.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I’m a very skilled French pastry chef. I really like to eat, so learning how to bake was an excuse to keep doing that. I once spent about 13 hours learning how to properly make croissants.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten?
In five years, I see myself back home in Sarasota working in the VR space, whether it is making medical simulations or something in the entertainment space. With my background in biology, medical simulations are a great way to combine the aspects of biology, VR, and education that I love. In 10 years, I’d like to hold a more supervisory or managerial role in my field, possibly even having a company of my own.
Favorite place you’ve visited?
Definitely Florence. The summer between my junior and senior year of undergrad, I did a chemistry study abroad in Italy, where I was able to see Florence. More recently, some friends and I went backpacking through Europe and I was able to visit again. The craftsmanship and leatherworking in Florence are just so cool and beautiful.
